A Legend Concealed
by Blonde Panther
Summary: The big day is finally over, and Seth is officially instated as general of the Knights of Renais. However, after a long day of official business, ceremony, and introductions, King Fado has one final rite of sorts to put him through.


**Disclaimer:** Fire Emblem and all names and concepts belong to Intelligent Systems and Nintendo. **  
Characters:** Seth, Fado. **  
Warnings:** Mild spoilers for FE8. **  
 _Author's Notes:_** _BP returns after a really long hiatus, with a few fics for FE8week 2017! I couldn't come up with something for each day, but I'm looking to put up three or four fics this week, of which this is the first one! Upon seeing the prompts Legend/Secret, this was the first thing to come to mind. It's probably the least original concept I'll put out this entire week, but enjoy!_

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 _ **A Legend Concealed**_

Seth was no stranger to the throne room of Castle Renais, although visiting it at this hour was new to him. He politely kept his hands clasped behind his back, his gait even and his gaze fixed forward, his attention divided between ensuring his guide's safety and not showing his own confusion. A kingdom as large and powerful as Renais was bound to harbour certain secrets. He knew that well. But secrets that had to be discussed under the cover of night? Surely Renais' secrets could not be so dark. Had he been five years younger, he would have jokingly asked if it was too late to back out of his new position, but enough had happened that he knew better.

Renais's general had passed away, or rather, been slain in battle. This had left a large void in the barracks, an empty seat on King Fado's council, and Seth without any remaining relatives. Admittedly, at a full score of age, he had no longer been a child, but the loss had struck him hard. Terrified that his lance arm would falter with grief, and not wanting his fellow knights and superiors to pity him, he had thrown himself into his training, as well as that of the large, unruly stallion he had been assigned as part of his promotion from foot soldier to cavalryman and which was proving a living nightmare to wrestle into behaving. It was during this time that he had lost what remained of his childish self, replacing it with the respect of his peers and the revelation that he might be even more gifted in the arts of war than his superiors had formerly thought. He had matured incredibly swiftly, and by the time the pressure on King Fado to permanently replace his dear friend and late general had mounted to a point where it could no longer be ignored, he had climbed the ranks of Renais's military to command a small squad of cavalrymen himself.

Not just as the late general's progeny, but also as a collected strategist, expert horseman, and warrior to be met, King Fado had considered Seth an obvious candidate for the position despite his young age. And here he was now; earlier today, he had been instated as Renais's new general, introduced to his advisory position on His Majesty's council, and held audience with the twin prince and princess, who had insisted on meeting him when their attendant had let it slip that their father's new general was not that much older than they were. And now, hours after he should have been asleep, he was following his liege lord into the darkened throne room, a single lantern between the two their only source of illumination. "Your Majesty," he finally whispered, no longer able to keep his confusion and curiosity in check, "I would not dare question your wisdom, but could this not have waited until tomorrow morning?"

King Fado turned, looking at the knight behind him, and shook his head. "I apologise, Seth. I know today has been a long day and tomorrow proves to be no shorter. But as Adam's successor, there are things you must know." Seth successfully suppressed a wince at his father's name, making a mental note that he had to make work of truly processing the man's death. If Fado had noticed it, he gave no indication. "Things that cannot wait. Look here, Seth. Do you know what these are?" Noticing the movement of one of Fado's arms, Seth felt his gaze drawn downward to whatever it was the king was holding out and angling the lantern so its light illuminated them. The king showed him what appeared to be a pair of mundane if well-crafted golden bangles, one decorated with a single large ruby and the other with an equally large sapphire.

King Fado had not kept him up this late for a pair of _mundane_ bangles, though, and so Seth decided to keep the observation to himself, shaking his head. "I do not recall ever having seen them before, Your Majesty."

Fado nodded approvingly. "Very well. I shall reveal their function to you soon enough. But before that, allow me to ask: how much _has_ Adam taught you about the Sacred Stones?"

The Sacred Stones? Seth didn't have to think long. They were such a well-known part of Magvel's history that he could recite their origins, importance, and function in his sleep. Having been given to the hero Grado by the Everlasting, they had collectively served as prisons for the Demon King- His body destroyed by the hero's blade, his soul split into fives and sealed firmly away within the five gems. Though his soul was immortal and his power terrifying, the light radiating from the Sacred Stones and the distance subsequently put between them ensured that he could not return or wreak havoc upon Magvel from within them. Once again, Seth deducted from the context that the king did not mean to quiz him on his knowledge of history. "The Sacred Stone of Renais is held within the temple, my lord," he said. "In a glass case beneath the altar, shielded by powerful wards to prevent it from being removed or tampered with. If I'm not mistaken, the glass case itself is a ward as well, although I am no wizard…"

"He taught you well, I see." Once again, an approving nod from the king. "This is what you are to uphold at all times when asked about our Sacred Stone. It is of utmost importance that the people of Magvel, ally or enemy, believe the stone in the temple to be genuine."

That piqued Seth's interest, any hint of tiredness gone from his mind. "From your choice of words, I suppose that it is not."

Fado cast a swift look around the throne room, as if ensuring they were not being listened in on. "You and I are the only living souls to know of this." He turned, placing the lantern on the ground and taking one of the bangles in either hand. "The true Sacred Stone… well, you'll see." With that, he raised both hands above his head. For a moment, nothing seemed to happen, but then, Seth saw a gleam from within the two gems and felt a painful whine in the back of his head; magic, he knew, akin as it felt to the buzzing of the wards in the temple. This was much stronger, however, and left him wincing and reaching up to clamp both hands over his ears to shut it out. Before he could get a chance to do so, though, it stopped as suddenly as it had begun. "Come," King Fado said, picking up the lantern. "Mind the steps."

Seth followed behind him once more, biting back a gasp at the sight of what the bangles' magic had done. The throne had vanished from sight entirely, revealing a winding staircase leading to someplace beneath the throne room, instead. Seth wracked his mind -were not the dungeons directly beneath here?- but followed the king down the stairs, trusting that he would learn soon enough what this all was. "I do not fully comprehend how it all works," Fado confessed as they descended, "But the bangles, together, form the key to an infinitely complicated magical seal of sorts. Much like yourself, I am no wizard, but the ancient kings of Renais were. They could feel the power of the Demon King radiating from the Sacred Stone, however faint, and they feared that it might influence them. Obviously, they could not impose the same precautions upon their allies…" They reached the bottom of the staircase and Fado extinguished the lantern to conserve oil. The light from it was no longer necessary, as the chamber they were in was dimly lit when they entered it. Seth cast his gaze around for the source, quickly finding the light to originate from within the large gemstone hovering quietly above a pedestal in the middle of the room.

It was clear that this chamber had not been meant to be found. Apart from the pedestal, which Seth supposed held wards or masking spells to hide and protect the gem above it, there were no furnishings or decorations, or much of anything. The pedestal did not even have any engravings in it. The only other items in the room were a pair of weapons, resting peacefully against either side of the pedestal; an infantry lance of the kind that Seth idly noted Prince Ephraim had said he wanted to learn how to use, and a thin sword, both ornately decorated. They looked out of place here, and yet there was no mistaking that they were collateral at best. The true prize was, after all, the orb lighting the room. "This is the true resting place of Renais's Sacred Stone."

Seth cautiously took a step forward. As he did so, his suspicions were confirmed- there was some sort of sound in this room, very faint, but recognisable when he and Fado were both silent. It became more audible as he stepped closer to the stone, but the king gave no reaction to it, so Seth supposed it was only in his own head. As he stood right in front of the pedestal, he could hear it clearly. It was his own voice- murmuring of the responsibility Fado gave him by telling him about this, the strength he would need to protect Renais, its royal family, and its Sacred Stone, the fortitude he would need if he were ever captured and tortured for this information… The very faint temptation welled up in him to reach out and touch the Sacred Stone. Part of him, unnerved by these thoughts, perhaps hoped to tap into a portion of the Stone's power so that he could be comfortable in the knowledge he had what it took to carry out his new duties…

But these were not his thoughts, and Seth snapped himself back to reality. Forcing himself to step back, one foot at a time, until he was far enough away from the Sacred Stone that he could no longer make out his own voice among the muddled whispers, he realised he was trembling. "So you feel it too," Fado said, looking at him knowingly. "That is what the ancient kings feared. There is no telling what will happen if someone were to give in to its seduction and attempt to wield it; that is why the true stone was sealed away here, and the temple furnished with a forgery to distract the people."

"I suppose the same is true for Sieglinde and Siegmund," Seth said. It wasn't a question. They, too, had copies take their place in the kingdom- theirs rested in large glass cases flanking Renais's throne as a symbol of the monarch's power, and Seth had seen them often enough to recognise the true pieces. Much like the Sacred Stone, it wasn't hard to see why they were here, shimmering with poorly contained power, although far less than the Stone held. Fado only nodded, gesturing that Seth had to follow him back up the staircase.

Though the journey down had been silent, this time, Fado spoke. "You must be wondering why I tell you this," he said, slowly, as if he had to deliberate every word. "Normally, I would leave to you believe the lie, to make it all the easier to uphold. However…" Seth heard a faint clinking and knew the king had taken the bangles to hand once more. "The keys to the seal are not safe in the hands of one single person, and less so in the hands of someone who knows all this. I plan to present the bracelets to Eirika and Ephraim upon their sixteenth birthday." Seth was left to process that as they reached the throne room, the staircase vanishing as silently but with the same magic discharge as it had appeared with. This time, Seth did rub his temple, his exposure to the Sacred Stone just enough to make this particular magic break his composure for a moment.

Fado continued as if he had never stopped, prompting Seth to leave his aching head for what it was and listen once more. "They know nothing of the bracelets' nature, and they must not know. But there is no telling whether it will be within their lifetime that the Sacred Stone, or the Sacred Twins, are needed once more. I will tell Ephraim everything when he is crowned, of course, but should anything happen to me before then, someone else has to know. I know it is much to ask of one so young as yourself, but they took to you well. They would trust you."

"If such great peril strikes," Seth stated, nodding his head in agreement, "I shall inform them as well as shield them from harm."

"Thank you, Seth. Now, then, I believe it is high time we made our respective ways to bed."

"I shall escort you to your-"

"No, no." Fado held up a hand. "The castle is well-defended, Seth. I require no escort. Return to your quarters and go to sleep. Your duties as general begin tomorrow, and I want you well-rested for them."

"By your leave then, Your Majesty." Seth bowed before turning and leaving the throne room. Part of him was still a tad nervous about having been given this immense responsibility, but mostly, he was proud that King Fado thought him reliable enough for it. Proud, and tired. He told himself there was no need to be anxious over all this. After all, what were the odds that he would ever need this information? The Demon King had been vanquished long ago, and he could not imagine another threat that would require the Sacred Stone to overcome.

He would eat that thought only a handful of years later, when King Fado ensured Eirika was wearing her bracelet before ordering Seth to take her -and it- to safety. As he clasped the princess's upper arm tightly to rush her out of the castle and away from their invading former ally, he spared King Fado one last glance and a reassuring nod. The king would either fall or be captured, but Princess Eirika would be safe, and when the time came, she and Prince Ephraim would know the truth. As His Majesty turned away and grasped his sword more firmly, though did not remove its tip from where it was resting on the ground in front of him, Seth turned to run, dragging Princess Eirika with him as he drew his own sword with his other hand to cut a path.

He would carry out his duty and keep his promise to his king.


End file.
